1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a damping device, and more particularly, to a damping device applicable to a furniture hinge.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, some specific furniture, such as a door or a cabinet may be installed with a damping device. The damping can be utilized to provide damping effect when a first component is moved to switch from an open state to a close state relative to a second component, in order to mitigate movement of the first component being closed relative to the second component. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,021,656 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,214 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,925,151 B2 discloses furniture hinges with similar techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 9,021,656 B2 discloses a furniture damper comprises a slider (13), a piston (22) and a piston rod (17). According to FIGS. 4a and 4b of U.S. Pat. No. 9,021,656 B2, an end of the piston rod (17) is connected to the piston (22), and the piston (22) is located in a fluid chamber (21). However, the piston rod and the piston are two independent components. When the piston rod and the piston are made of different materials (for example, the piston rod is made of a metal material and the piston is made of a plastic material), the piston may be damaged due to long-term use under great pressure. U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,214 B2 discloses a hinge for furniture with a decelerating device. The hinge (10) can be mounted to a piece of furniture. The hinge (10) comprises a hinge arm (12) and a box (13) swingably connected to each other. The hinge arm (12) can be fixed to a fixing part of the furniture, and the box (13) can be fixed to a door of the furniture. The hinge (10) also comprises a decelerating device (22) connected to the box (13). The decelerating device (22) comprises a slider (24) having a first cylindrical part (24′) and a second cylindrical part (24″). The first cylindrical part (24′) is configured to accommodate a piston (27) and a piston rod (31). The second cylindrical part (24″) is configured to accommodate a return spring means (25). However, such type of the decelerating device (22) has a more complex structure due to the slider (24) having the first cylindrical part (24′) and the second cylindrical part (24″) for accommodating related components. Therefore, damping devices with different structures can be provided to bring more options to the market.